Wiener Neustadt

Another colorful city government moves into city hall

Klaus Schneeberger remains (city) leader in Wiener Neustadt town hall. He has already found his coalition partners.(Bild: Patrick Huber, Stadt Wiener Neustadt/Weller,Krone KREATIV)

All colorful things come in threes! This is how Mayor Klaus Schneeberger sums it up. In Wiener Neustadt, the ÖVP city leader has quickly made a pact with the SPÖ, FPÖ and Kanber Demir's list to work together for the next five years. This means that after 2015 and 2020, the second largest city in the country will also have a multi-colored city hall coalition in 2025.

As no elections were held in St. Pölten on 26 January, Wiener Neustadt is the largest city in the country in which the political course was set in the municipal elections. And the final course was set quite quickly after the citizens' vote: less than a week after the ballot, Mayor Klaus Schneeberger was able to present the future city hall coalition.

Cooperation sealed
And it is as colorful as the previous ones. The People's Party, which remained the parliamentary group with the largest number of votes and mandates despite its considerable losses, agreed to work together with the second-placed Social Democrats, the Freedom Party in third place and Kanber Demir, who will enter the municipal council as a one-man group, for the next five years. 

The quartet of the Wiener Neustadt city hall coalition: Philipp Gerstenmayer (FPÖ), Klaus Schneeberger (ÖVP), Rainer Spenger (SPÖ) and Kanber Demir (from left)(Bild: Stadt Wiener Neustadt/Tobi Hübl)

Allocation of portfolios fixed
The ÖVP will retain responsibility for the key portfolios and will be responsible for finance and economy, as well as education, culture, infrastructure and urban development. The SPÖ will be responsible for housing, construction and the environment. The Freedom Party will be responsible for security, social affairs, sport and youth. However, the FPÖ will also be responsible for the control authority. As a citizen with a Turkish migration background, Kanber Demir will be primarily active in the area of integration.

Criticism from the opposition
The Greens and Neos are not involved in the future city government. Both parties have criticized the "new old coalition". The SPÖ and FPÖ have put the election losers on the throne, according to the Greens: "Together with the ÖVP, they are continuing on course towards the concrete capital." And the Neos lack transparency: "All power remains with the ÖVP, while the other parties merely act as extras." Klaus Schneeberger takes the criticism in his stride: "The Greens and Neos have not sought to work together, that is to be accepted. But my hand remains outstretched."